Vegetable recipe ideas

I have a number of vegetable recipes - some I have shared here. However, many feel like there's not enough of a recipe to justify it as an entire blog post. So I thought I'd throw out some ideas. Vegetables are one of the hardest parts of a healthy diet. We get so used to opening a can and heating it that we forget that there are some amazing ways to prepare a healthy and flavorful vegetable dish.
This past week, we picked up a bountiful basket. We came home with a wonderful assortment - broccoli, spinach, cucumber, radish, lettuce, tomato, avocado, clementines, asian pears, blackberries, grapes, fuji apples. Nothing is more inspiring than a beautiful assortment.
Last night we had a huge salad and steamed broccoli in lemon and garlic with our dinner. It reminded me of all the flavors and varieties of vegetables out there.
Making an interesting vegetable dish does not have to be difficult.
For the broccoli, we steamed it tender then melted 3 TB butter in a skillet, added 2 teas minced garlic and 3 TB lemon juice. Mix in the broccoli and let sit for just a moment. After everyone was dished up, all the broccoli was gone and people were looking for more.
Butter is a great flavoring agent for vegetables but if you want to avoid the extra fat - season with herbs and spices. As I have said before - dill weed is a favorite but not the only option. Curry powder adds nice heat and flavor to vegetables - try it on cauliflower. Lemon juice and garlic blend nicely. I was amazed at the flavor. Lemon is a great addition to most green vegetables (maybe all, I can't be sure until I have tried them all).
Heat leafy greens in a skillet with garlic and stock.
Speaking of stock - that's a great simple way to add flavor to steamed or boiled vegetables.
Tomorrow, I will start on fruit. I can't wait to share some of the ideas we have used to increase our fruit intake.
(hmm, somewhere I need to talk about pickling - I love pickled fruits and veggies.)